Chapter 106 Arriving at the Drum Kingdom
The warship lowered its gangway, and several naval officers disembarked.
The man at the front was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole. Judging from the epaulettes, he was a major general.
He walked briskly toward Smoker and saluted.
"Hello, Commander of Smog Base, Captain Scott of the Naval Transportation Force Escort Team is reporting to you!"
Although they were clearly not from the same unit, Scott spoke with great politeness.
Smoker smiled slightly.
Previous experience might not help in situations like this, but workplace experience was always useful. It was just a matter of mutual respect—one that everyone shared.
He returned the salute. "Thank you, Major General Scott. I'm truly sorry that you had to take a detour because of my personal matters..."
"No need to apologize. You're a strong man in this department. With you here, we are much more at ease!" Scott responded, letting out a sigh.
"That bastard Doflamingo set a bad precedent... He plundered the heavenly gold. Not only was he not sentenced to death, but he even became a Shichibukai."
"Now, many pirates are eyeing the gold in the sky, and the pressure on us is mounting..."
It turned out that this ship was escorting the gold in the sky.
Smoker had initially planned to ask headquarters to coordinate a nearby warship to pick him up. By chance, Captain Scott's ship was nearby, and its route aligned with Smoker's plan. So, Smoker requested that they turn around to pick him up.
If everything went smoothly on the escort ship, it wouldn't be an issue for them to make a slight detour. If there were any attacks, Smoker would naturally handle the situation himself.
After hearing Scott's concerns, Smoker understood the gravity of the situation.
There had been few instances of bad outcomes regarding the Heavenly Gold, but those that had occurred were close to zero. However, Doflamingo's case had set a dangerous precedent. Pirates now thought the World Government was soft and could be easily manipulated.
"Why can the monk get away with it but not me?" they might think.
"If he succeeded once, why not try it myself?"
"Pooh! Despicable!"
Some pirates even thought that instead of being pirates, they could go to a country and become nobles.
But these pirates failed to understand that Doflamingo wasn't spared simply because of his pirate status—his connection to the Celestial Dragons had protected him. Pirates who now entertained similar ideas would only be made into cautionary tales for others.
Smoker chuckled. "Don't worry, if there's really a need, I'll definitely take action!!!"
He boarded the ship with Sanai, and the little eagle joined them as well.
Not long after the warship set sail, the sea suddenly darkened. Smoker sensed a strange aura coming from beneath the waves.
Although not overwhelmingly powerful, it was massive...
Moments later, the sea beside the Small Garden surged upward like a mountain.
Under the water, a giant golden fish appeared, its tooth as large as a giant's.
(Note: There's an animation error here. In the animation, the Golden Merli is shown as smaller than the knees of a giant. However, in reality, the Golden Merli is 11 meters tall, while the Giant is 23 meters tall, meaning the fish should actually reach the giant's waist.)
Smoker stood by the boat, his expression grim.
There were no giant captains to see him off on this journey, which made him feel uneasy. If the giant goldfish caused trouble in the sea, it could prove difficult to handle.
In fact, aside from the Blue Pheasant and the Golden Lion, everyone would struggle. After all, just a casual movement from the giant goldfish could create waves powerful enough to crush a warship.
Thankfully, the giant goldfish only stared blankly at the warship. After a moment of confusion, it turned and continued eating the island.
Seeing that the giant goldfish had no interest in them, Smoker relaxed and turned to leave.
On the warship, Sanai, as Smoker's "assistant," was assigned a single room.
This wasn't a regular dormitory but rather a converted empty cabin.
For some reason, Little Eagle kept clinging to Sanai. Since the dormitory couldn't accommodate the bird, Sanai had no choice but to let it stay with him.
Sanai lay on the bed, Little Eagle sleeping soundly beside him.
[Smoker... Navy...]
Sanai recalled Smoker's invitation.
"Sanai, join the navy to help those who've suffered like you!"
"Don't worry about money. I'll go to Alabasta with you."
"I promise, as long as your sister is out there, no matter who has her, I will help you find her!!"
Sanai smiled softly, feeling more hopeful than ever.
Meanwhile, Smoker had entered the communications room, made a phone call, and stuffed several slender bullets into a small pouch.
He then made his way to the cabin and waved to attract a newspaper gull.
He handed the bag to the gull, along with a thick stack of Baileys.
"Remember, get to the Navy Headquarters as quickly as you can. If you make it within ten days, the recipient will give you double the money!!"
The paper-delivery gull smiled as it took the pouch and Berries, flying off with the assignment.
Their main business is delivering newspapers, but how much money can they make? !
Most of the newspaper gulls also worked part-time as couriers and errand runners.
If they were lucky enough to meet a wealthy client, the reward could be enough to cover a month's worth of newspaper deliveries.
After receiving the money, the newspaper gull flapped its wings and shot into the sky like a sharp sword, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Smoker stared after it, speechless.
The warship sailed for several days.
The weather gradually shifted from the warmth of midsummer to the biting cold of winter. The skies became overcast, and sunlight grew scarce.
Early this morning, Smoker stepped out of his cabin.
He was surprised to see that it had started snowing heavily, with a thick layer of snow already covering the deck.
Sanai and Little Eagle emerged from the warehouse shortly after.
The little eagle had never seen snow before. It let out an excited cry and rushed to roll in the snowdrifts.
Smoker suddenly realized that the little eagle had grown again without him even noticing.
The feathers on its body had gradually changed from soft down to long, gray-brown feathers.
Though it was still much smaller than an adult eagle, it now resembled its mother in every way.
[ Do eagles grow so fast? ? ]
At this moment, Sanai approached Smoker.
"Mr. Smoker, where are we heading next?"
Ever since Smoker had agreed to help him find his sister, Sanai had shown much more respect toward him.
Smoker pointed toward the distant horizon, where several drum-shaped mountains loomed.
"That's our next destination, the Drum Kingdom."
Information about the Drum Kingdom flashed through Smoker's mind.
Allies of the World Government, a renowned center for medical expertise, and the island of eternal winter.
The kingdom also had Dr. Dori, a brilliant medical practitioner, Siruluk, a doctor with great ethics and impressive skills, and Chopper, who wasn't even a tanuki...
Of course, there was also the tyrant Wapol, who had recently taken the throne.
What intrigued Smoker the most were the fruits on this island.
Hilton's Niu Niu Fruit and Chopper's Renren Fruit... but what he truly needed was the Tuntun Fruit.
Wapol didn't deserve such a valuable resource. Putting that fruit on him would be a waste of nature's gifts!
Sanai nodded eagerly. "If you need me to do anything, just let me know!"
"It's true! But it's not something legal."
"Don't worry..." Sanai replied confidently.
Just then, Scott approached.
"Captain Smoker, we will be entering the port of the Drum Kingdom soon. Their ministers will be there to greet us. Do you have any additional instructions?"
Smoker understood what Scott meant.
"Major General Scott, no need to be formal."
"I'm free for now. Unless someone attacks me, just pretend I don't exist."
"When the ship docks, we'll take a look around. Just do as you please."
Scott nodded with a smile.
"Thank you for your understanding!"
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